coronado trail

My arms are still sore a week later and my thumb is slightly sprained so exercise before you drive this road. We drove it in December with almost no one on the road which allowed for an amazing driving experience. There was snow in the shadows and the endless turns will challenge your driving skills. There are few shoulders and no guard rails so there is no room for driver distraction while driving here. That said this is one of the greatest roads I have every been on in my life and when I go back to Arizona I would love to drive it again in a smaller car or on a motorcycle. Plan for about 4 hours without stops.

Travel north from Morenci on SR 191, also known as the Coronado Trail, formerly labeled as the Devil's Highway, Route 666. Prepare yourself for switchbacks and hairpin turns. If you are on a motorcycle this is one ride you must take. But even for travelers in cars,vans or small motor homes this tour is worth every sharp turn at speeds reaching 5 mph. Turn outs are worth stopping for - these are photo opportunity locations. HooDoos, enormous Birch trees, Aspen, Ponderosa Pines and mountains that look photo-shopped. The trip from Morenci to Hannagan's Meadow will take you about 90 minutes of pure joy, and excitement. If you have vertigo, be a passenger and keep your eyes closed.

My husband and I have been riding our motorcycles up and down the Coronado Trail for the last 20 years. This is one of those rides that can take the better part of the day, due to the twists and turns and beautiful scenery that you just don't want to miss. Highway 191, which used to be Hwy 666 - but was changed due to the connotation of the 3 sixes - is a road that commands respect. My advice is to pay attention, leave lots of room between you and the guy in front of you, and take your time. On a bike, you can go a little faster in the turns, but don't get ahead of yourself or you'll end up in a tree - as we've seen happen before. It's best to travel this road early in the day, as the sun will be directly overhead and will give you the best visual of the road. In the late afternoons, the shadows get long, the deer come out - and it gets a bit chillier. You can also get caught in afternoon rains, or even snow - depending on the time of year. If you ride a motorcycle - you MUST give this road a try. You won't be sorry, and you'll have bragging rights when you're done. After the ride, we usually spend the night at the Tal Wi Wi Lodge in Alpine, where you're likely to run into other riders. Good times.

The scenery is outstanding. There are many hiking trails in both the Apache-Sitgreaves forests and the Blue Range Primitive area. This is a great wildlife viewing area. The highway is very well maintained. There are a lot of twists and turns, Make certain that your brakes are in good working order. Speed limit is 10-15 mph in areas south of Hannagan Meadow, so allow a lot of time for this trip.

The ride from Clifton/Morenci to Hannagan Meadow is beautiful but a lot of work. Hwy 191 goes through a huge open pit mine at Morenci, then about 30 miles of switchback type turns (20-25 mph) then another 40 miles of mountain grades and turn after turn.

This is a great way to see Arizona's mountains, and especially the fall colors as the trees change. Be prepared with gas, water, food as it's 90 miles from Clifton/Morenci before the next services are available and cell reception can be spotty. During winter, the road isn't plowed or patrolled on nights/weekends and the road can be closed at times also, so be sure to check AZDOT for conditions. There are many trails off the road, and places to stop/picnic. Just don't be in a hurry and enjoy the road at a leisurely pace. If you tend to get car sick/ motion sick, this might not be the drive for you.

I rode my street legal dirt bike up there from Tombstone Arizona. About 500 miles round trip. Road all over the dirt roads up there near Alpine, it was awesome. It was sad all the fire damage from two years ago. The road is 90 miles from Morenci to Alpine. It took us a little over 2 hours to make it up the hill. The 15 mph corners can easily be taken at 25 on a motorcycle, I did it on knobbies! I'm not saying to race up there, it's just not as bad as people make it out to be. When you are coming down, past Hanagan meadow, then past blue overlook, you will see a tree on the right that has hundreds of arrows in it. I guess it's a thing that bow hunters do. It's really pretty cool. The tree was already dead so no harm/ no foul.

Amazing scenery but drive really slow and causiously. Check weather conditions before going. The best part is at the top near Hannagan Meadow. Its a trecherous drive but I've done worse on Arizona's back roads.

What a BEAUTIFUL route! We rode over from Phoenix, spent the night in Alpine and headed out early in the morning. With the exception of two vehicles heading the opposite way there were no other vehicles on the road. The views and the twisties were fantabulous!

This National Scenic Byway is a paved 123 mile road through the mounains, with some sheer drop-offs but with many impressive views. The views are better going southbound but be sure to downshift rather than burning out your brakes on the steep decline sections. The rangers described this road as hellacious but they were invoking fear needlessly. It is not scary unless you are deathly afraid of heights. There is little traffic as it is for sightseeing and the views are worth the trip. With good driving skills this trip is not difficult – just long. Not a fast trip - so take the time to enjoy it.

We shouldn't have been driving a Camaro at over 9300 feet in altitude through white-out snow in the winter on a highway that winds 119 miles through the White Mountains, but it was a very well-maintained highway and the snow-plow had gone by at least once before we did so we just made it over the highest pass without getting a Darwin Award. Though we couldn't see all the views because of the blizzard, what we could see was iincredibly beautiful. We will do this road again at a more sensible time of the year when we can see the views and don't have to worry about being a statistic documenting the stupid ways people die. Alpine is a quaint little village at around 8,000 feet and seems to be easily accessible from the north in the winter. Don't come from the south during a winter storm unless you have a 4x4 and chains or cables.

I loved the drive, it was scenic and fun. My wife felt pretty sick by the end of it, though. There are signs that advise 15 MPH for stretches of road around 40-50 miles, and they're not joking. If time is important, choose another route.